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Arbiter’s Grounds (Dungeon 4) Walkthrough

Twilight Princess 100% Completion Walkthrough23 chapters
Walkthrough overview
CoversThe whole Arbiter’s Grounds dungeon in route order, from the entrance to the Stallord fight and the Heart Container
DungeonArbiter’s Grounds (Dungeon 4): bring the Lantern, Clawshot, Hero’s Bow with bombs, and an empty bottle if you have one; boss Twilit Fossil Stallord; item Spinner
KeysFive small keys, the Big Key, Dungeon Map and Compass
RewardsSpinner, Heart Container, four Poe Souls, two Pieces of Heart, Ooccoo, Miiverse stamps

Arbiter’s Grounds is a sand-filled prison built around a central chamber. You hunt four Poes in the western and eastern wings to relight four torches, which opens the north door; the second half hides the mini-boss Death Sword, the Spinner, the Big Key and the boss Stallord. The Spinner decides everything after the first half, so practise its rail jumps early. Directions use the Normal Mode layout. Hero Mode mirrors the world, so swap left and right and east and west. The quicksand in every wing pulls you under if you stand in it, so keep moving, roll across narrow strips, and note that two chain pulls and one chandelier drop are timed.

Quicksand room, Lantern chamber and the central chamber

Cross the first sand room

Run down the steps into the first room. The floor is quicksand: stand on it too long and you sink, so keep moving and roll across short gaps. Moldorms burst out of the sand and knock you around. Look at the wall on your left and Clawshot the round target to reach a safe platform, then hop from platform to platform and roll over the short sand stretches toward the gate at the north end.

Link running down a stone corridor toward the first sand room
Quicksand floor and stone blocks in the first Arbiter's Grounds room
Link on a stone platform aiming the Clawshot at a target over the sand
Link fighting an enemy in the sand room with rubble on the floor

Go to the north-east corner. A small Stalkin skeleton attacks there; cut it down. A chain hangs in the corner, but grabbing it by hand drops you into the sand, so stand on firm ground, shoot the Clawshot at the chain, pull it back and the gate at the north opens. Cross and climb the steps.

Link fighting a Stalkin skeleton beside the iron bars in the northeast corner
First-person Clawshot aimed at the chain hanging in the corner
Link walking up the steps of the gate hall at the north end
Small Key

Lantern oil and the first small key

At the top, the opening on the right holds a large pot of Lantern oil. Fill the Lantern now, and an empty bottle if you carry one, because several rooms here are dark. Take the west corridor, smash the boards at the end and open the chest for the first small key. Poison Mites crawl onto Link here and slow him down; use a spin attack to shake them off and run on. Then walk to the locked door and use the key.

Link holding up the small key with the item message box
Link holding up the lantern oil bottle with the You got lantern oil message box
Link holding the lantern oil bottle with the tutorial message box
Link standing before the chained red-gold locked door

Light the two torches

The next room is dark. Pull out the Lantern, avoid the sinking-sand holes, and cut through the Stalkins to the north end. Light the two torches by the door to open the gate, then walk through.

Link fighting Stalkins in a dark room lit by his lantern
Link lighting a torch beside the gate with his lantern
Link walking toward the gate at the north end of the dark room

The first Poe, the Dungeon Map and a Piece of Heart

Four Poes steal the flames

In the central chamber, four Poe Lanterns float in, snatch the four flames and seal the north door. Three Poes flee; one stays. Switch to Wolf Link, lock on and wait for it to turn purple, then pounce and press the attack button repeatedly to maul it. Hitting it while it is transparent does nothing. Defeat it for its soul; its flame relights the first torch.

Central chamber with blue flames burning on the pillars before the north door
Wolf Link locked onto a Poe in the central chamber with the attack prompt shown
Poe's soul message box with Midna and the red orb after defeating the Poe

Inspect what the Poe leaves behind and Wolf Link learns the Poe Scent. From now on, Wolf Link’s senses show a trail to each Poe you have not yet killed, and the trail is what guides you through this dungeon.

Midna beside a blue spirit flame left behind by a defeated Poe
Wolf Link learning the Poe Scent with the message box shown
Piece of Heart

Dungeon Map and the first Piece of Heart

Two chests sit on this level before you head down. In the north-west, cross the platforms, defeat the Bubbles and open the chest for the Dungeon Map. In the north-east, use the Clawshot target just beyond the chest and open it for Piece of Heart #34. Clawshot back to solid ground.

Link holding up the Dungeon Map with the item name box after opening the chest
Link holding up Piece of Heart with the message box in the ruin hall

The second Poe: the pillar room

Dig up the stairs

Follow the scent trails with Wolf Link’s senses. Two lead east: one goes over a door and the other to a patch of sand beside the wall. Dig there to reveal a chain, pull it back and a hidden staircase opens. Go down and through the door.

Wolf Link in green Sense light on the ruin floor
Wolf Link following a purple scent trail toward the east side of the hall

The round pillar and the ReDead Knight

A Skull Bubble drifts here; slash it. A lever sticks out from the pillar in the middle of the room. Push or pull it counterclockwise and the room turns, opening a passage to the north. A ReDead Knight is waiting there. Do not get close: its scream freezes you. Bomb arrows work from a distance, or a Back Slice or Helm Splitter if you must close in. Open the small chest behind it for a small key (the second).

Link grabbing the round pillar in the checkered room at Arbiter's Grounds
Link fighting an enemy in the pillar room at Arbiter's Grounds
Link holding up the small key with the item message box shown

Climb to the upper level

Stand in the opening and look up through the hole in the ceiling: a Clawshot target hangs there (step forward a little if you cannot see it). Pull yourself up to the second floor, then switch to Wolf Link. The scent leads through the door to the north; at the west end of the next room a Poe floats. Lock on, wait for it to flash purple, then leap and bite, and repeat until its soul is yours.

Wolf Link locking on to a Poe in the blue-lit round room
Wolf Link lunging to bite a Poe in the blue-lit round room
Poe soul received message on screen after defeating the Poe

Go back, drop to the floor and turn the lever clockwise to restore the pillar. Leave through the west door and the second torch lights in the central chamber.

Midna riding on Wolf Link in the checkered pillar room
Link at the pillar with the Grab prompt to turn the lever

The third Poe, the Compass and the chandelier rooms

Platforms, crate and chandelier

Back in the central chamber, take the stairs and the east door on the upper level. Use the small key on the locked door ahead. In the next room cross the short platforms at the north end, watching for spike barriers that pop out of the sand; Wolf Link’s senses show where they will rise. On the east side, pull the large crate backward until it drops, then push it into the narrow gap.

Link in the sandy room with spike barriers rising from the ground
Link standing before a maze-patterned crate with the Grab prompt showing
Link on a platform beside a spiked barrier in the sand room

Climb the steps and the ledge on the left. Grab the chain and pull it all the way back to raise the chandelier, then jump off the ledge on the right and run past before it falls. If you are too slow, it crashes and you restart at the room entrance.

Link climbing steps beside a barred gate with a lit lantern in a stone hall
Link on the floor beneath the raised chandelier with spike traps to the left
Link running past spike traps in a stone hall with a chain hanging ahead
Compass

The Compass

Climb the next steps and run south. Open the chest to get the Compass. A statue stands in the middle of this area: push or pull it counterclockwise to turn the room. Run east, smash the boards, defeat the ReDead Knight and open the chest behind it for the third small key. Cross to the opposite corridor and unlock the door.

Link holding up the Compass with its message box in a dungeon room
Link holding up the small key with the item message box fully shown
Link slashing a ReDead Knight in a brown stone corridor

The third Poe

This room is full of Stalkins and holds two ReDead Knights, so use bombs or bomb arrows from range and watch the sand. Around the corner where the knights stand, switch to Wolf Link, follow the scent to a patch of sand and dig up a chain. Pull it and a wall slides aside, revealing the third Poe. Kill it as a wolf, then leave through the door at the north end.

Wolf Link and Midna in a green-lit room beside a glowing purple wall
Wolf Link attacking the third Poe in a green-lit room
Midna and Wolf Link beside the Poe's soul with its message box
Ghoul Rat

The round room with rats

Drop down and open the chest for another small key (the fourth). As you walk, ghostly Ghoul Rats cling to you and slow you down; only Wolf Link can see them. A spin attack removes them (hold the attack button until Midna’s targeting circle vanishes, or release it before it appears, to spin instead of making the charged attack). Climb the steps, jump the gap and use the key on the locked door to return to the central chamber on the upper floor.

Link as Wolf with Midna and a small key with its message box
Wolf Link surrounded by Ghoul Rats in a green-lit room
Link spin attacking among ghostly rats with an orange arc around him

The fourth Poe: the last Poe

Chandelier, crate and chain

Jump onto the chandelier in the middle of the chamber, then leap to the other side and go through the west door. Walk down the steps on the right, drop and push the block ahead down the gap. A corridor behind it leads to a chest with a red Rupee. Jump onto the block, grab the chain, pull it fully back and run across the room to the chest on the far side for the Surprised Midna stamp. Moldorms in the sand try to knock you off, so Clawshot them first if needed.

Midna riding Wolf Link beneath the hanging chandelier in the Arbiter's Grounds
Wolf Link pushing a carved maze block toward the red door
Red Rupee found in the Arbiter's Grounds with the You got 20 Rupees message
Link holding up the Surprised Midna stamp with its message box

Clawshot the target to return to the east side. Pull the chain again, but this time let go and stand on the part of the bridge that sits lower than the rest, where the chandelier has a hole. It drops around you; climb up, jump west across the gap and go through the next door.

Link standing in the round pit room below the chandelier
Link approaching the red-gold door across the sandy room
Stalfos

Stalfos and the torches

Break the wooden boards and walk ahead. A pile of bones forms a Stalfos. Hit it with a shield attack and a few slashes; it falls apart but is not dead, so blast the bones with a bomb or a bomb arrow before it reforms. Two chests in the room hold bombs. When it dies, the door to the south opens.

A Stalfos rising from a pile of skulls and bones in the Arbiter's Grounds
Link fighting the Stalfos with sword and shield in the round chamber
Link holding up bombs with the You got bombs message box

Climb the steps and cross the sand. Four torches stand in the room, and only two are correct: light the one in front first, then the one on the far left. Any other choice summons a wave of Stalkins. When the large door opens, go through.

Link surrounded by Stalkins rising from the sand
Link on the sand beside the steps in the skeleton room
Golden seated statue with a serpent and two lit torches
Doorway into a torch-lit chamber beside the large door
Poe

The fourth Poe

With senses on, find the Poe in the room. It splits into four that circle you and then stop. Three turn transparent while the real one glows. Lock on to the glowing one and attack with Wolf Link. Repeat until it drops, and take the fourth Poe Soul of the dungeon. Leave through the north door, then Clawshot to the target on the east side and walk through the door back into the main chamber. The fourth torch lights, and the huge north door opens.

Midna standing on the glowing sigil floor in the Poe room
Wolf Link facing Poes that circle the room
Wolf Link attacking a Poe in the dim room
Wolf Link and Midna beside the message box for the fourth Poe soul
Midna standing in the main chamber with the sigil floor

The tall shaft, Ooccoo and the mini-boss

Down the cylindrical shaft

Step into the north room. The big chest is visible in the distance, but you cannot reach it yet. Go through the door at the east end to a tall cylindrical room filled with Bubbles and Fire Bubbles. Clawshot the targets on the wall to descend. A lever on the pillar at the bottom raises and lowers the floor. Push it clockwise twice and a chest with spikes in front of it becomes reachable by walking around to the right: open it for the fifth small key. If the floor moves the wrong way, turn the lever the other direction.

Midna pushing against the spiral pillar in the tall shaft
Link aiming the Clawshot at a target in the tall shaft
Link looking through a doorway into the spike room
Link holding up the small key with the item message box fully shown
Link grabbing the lever on the spiral pillar

Lower the floor to the bottom and unlock the south door.

Link standing before the chained south door
Link walking through the opened south door

Spikes, rats and the chain

This room has hidden floor spikes, quicksand and Ghoul Rats. Wolf Link’s senses show the spike outlines. Clear the rats and the ReDead Knight in the south-west first, then reach the south-east chain. Pull it all the way back and run to the opened door in the east before the wall closes again. Leave senses on to avoid the spikes on your way.

Link near rows of stone spikes in the sand room
Wolf Link crossing the sand room with spikes along the wall
Link fighting a ReDead Knight in the barred room
Link running across the opened room toward the east door

Rolling spikes and Ooccoo

In the next room, run across the quicksand without stopping; small mites cling to you and a spin attack shakes them off. In the south-west corner lift the pot and Ooccoo hops out; she lets you leave the dungeon and return to this spot later. Go through the door to the north.

Link running across the quicksand corridor with mites clinging to him
Link walking through the sand room with mites clinging to his body
Ooccoo hopping out of the pot beside Link after being freed
Ooccoo message box explaining she will let Link leave the dungeon and return

This room has rotating spikes, so keep moving north. Defeat the pair of Stalfos, then the third one to the east; when all three are down, a gate at the south end of the room opens. Run back through that gate, cross the quicksand by Clawshotting the wall targets (the mites attach again, so spin them off) and take the door in the north to the mini-boss room.

Link passing the rotating spiked roller in the spike room
Link facing a Stalfos in an alcove beside rows of spears
Link covered in mites while crossing the sand
Link standing before the ornate door to the mini-boss room
Death Sword

Mini-boss: Death Sword

A giant sword lies bound by ropes. Slash the ropes and Death Sword wakes. Human Link cannot see its wielder, so switch to Wolf Link, dodge the sword swings and wait until the undead swordsman flashes purple, then pounce and tear him free of his cloak.

The giant Death Sword bound by glowing ropes in the centre of the room
Link with his sword drawn facing the Death Sword in the mini-boss room
Wolf Link and Midna attacking the ghostly swordsman in the arena
Wolf Link pouncing on the ghostly swordsman

Now visible, he drifts around the room firing projectiles. Draw the bow and shoot him: he darts around wildly, and when he comes close, slash him out of the air so he tumbles to the floor, then hack away while he lies there. If he recovers and fades from sight, change back to Wolf Link and repeat. The sword shatters after enough rounds.

Link's arrow striking the Death Sword in first person
Link slashing the Death Sword after it tumbles to the floor
The Death Sword standing in the mini-boss room with its blade raised
Death Sword knocked down on the floor in a cloud of dust
Spinner

The Spinner

Walk through the now open gate and open the chest to get the Spinner. Equip it, ride toward the rails on either side wall and it clamps on, carrying you back up to the mini-boss room; press R to hop between tracks. Leave by the door.

Link walking down a stone corridor toward the gold door in Arbiter's Grounds
Link holding up the Spinner with its name message box in Arbiter's Grounds

Spinner rooms, Piece of Heart and the Big Key

First rail

Outside, ride the rail along the right wall. When you reach the sand, press R to jump to the rail on the other side and let it carry you up to the door.

Link riding the Spinner along a rail beside the right wall
Link on the Spinner rail beside a curved wall and column

The multi-level rail room

This room has several levels of rails and rolling spike balls. Two chests to the right hold bombs and a red Rupee; a third, around the north corner, holds a yellow Rupee. Chests here hold small amounts, so spend little time on them.

Link on the Spinner rail beside spiked posts in the multi-level rail room
Link riding rails across the sand toward a chest in the rail room
Link standing beside a chest on the sandy floor of the rail room
Link holding up a red Rupee with the You got 20 Rupees message box

Travel west on the rails, avoiding the spiked wheels. The track curls upward to a high area with a huge rotating spike. Go east and defeat the Stalfos, then open the chest for Piece of Heart #35. Ride the north rail past the rotating spike, jump from rail to rail and you drop back to the south-west corner. If you circle forever, stop spinning, step off and take the opposite direction.

Link riding the Spinner on a rail below a grated wall
Link on the Spinner rail climbing past a wall in the high area
Link facing a Stalfos beside a closed chest in the chamber
Link holding up a Piece of Heart with its message box in Arbiter's Grounds

At the north-east, defeat two Stalfos and open the chest for the Hylian Letter D stamp. At the north-west, two rails run side by side with spiked wheels on them. Start on the left rail, jump to the other when the first wheel passes, and keep alternating. Falling is common; just retry. The door beyond leads to the Big Key.

Link riding a rail past a lit alcove in the north-west rail room
Link fighting a Stalfos on the checkered floor among skulls
Link holding up the Hylian Alphabet D stamp with its message box
Big Key

Big Key chest

Open the large chest to get the Big Key and ride back across the sand to the central room. Place the Spinner in the gear-shaped hole in the floor and press R rapidly. The wall turns and opens a path north.

Link holding up the Big Key with its message box
The round gear floor between two torches, seen from above
Link standing on the round gear floor between two torches

To the boss door

In the north shaft, use the rails to climb. Jump off the rail onto the central platform, whose edge points toward the east. Set the Spinner into the hole there and tap R rapidly; a spiral rail rises to the top of the room. Ride it up and use the Big Key on the boss door.

Link at the edge of the central platform, a torch on its rim
Link riding a rail beside the central platform with its torch
Stallord

Boss: Twilit Fossil Stallord

Zant

Setting the scene

A giant skeleton lies in the dark room. Walk forward and Zant appears, speaks, then drives the Scimitar of Twilight into the skull to wake it. Stallord has two phases, and the Spinner is your weapon in both.

Link in the dark room with the giant skeleton lying nearby
Zant standing over the giant skeleton in the dark room
Stallord skull with a glowing pink eye, Link at the arena edge
Stallord rising over Link in the arena

Phase 1: the spine

Equip the Spinner and ride the rail around the arena wall to build speed, then jump off and spin straight at the spine in the middle. Return to the rail and repeat. Staltroop skeletons rise from the sand to block you, and the Spinner cuts them down; small spiked wheels also ride the rail, so you cannot stay on it for long.

Link riding the Spinner on the arena rail with the Stallord skeleton ahead
Link on the Spinner near the spine with Staltroop skeletons around the sand arena

Three hits crack the spine. After the third, more Staltroops guard the base, so clear a few to get a clean line. The body then collapses and the sand drains out of the room.

Red explosions on the Spinner as Link fights off Staltroops near the Stallord spine
The Stallord body toppling in the arena as its spine collapses

Phase 2: the skull

Walk to the middle and set the Spinner into the hole to raise the central pillar; the skull wakes and starts to circle it, firing fireballs. Spin up the rails of the pillar toward it. When it fires, press R to jump to the outer wall rail and dodge. After a few shots it flies close: jump with the Spinner and strike it, and it drops to the floor. Run in and slash the sword stuck in its skull.

Link standing on the round Spinner platform beside a dark circle in the arena
Link on the outer rail as the skull fires a glowing fireball
The skull circling the arena wall above Link riding the rail

The skull rises again. Repeat the same pattern, with blade traps now appearing on the rails each round, so you must time your jumps. Keep going until the skull is destroyed.

Link driving his sword into the fallen skull in the arena
Link on the Spinner as a fireball bursts beside him under the skull
Heart Container

Heart Container and the Mirror Chamber

Take the Heart Container for one more full heart. Stallord leaves no Mirror Shard: the first shard is the one already set in the Mirror of Twilight, which you reach next. Leave through the exit and walk into the Mirror Chamber; the next chapter continues from there.

Link walking toward a glowing Heart Container lying on the floor of the room
Link holding up a Heart Container with the message box saying life energy increased by one
Link walking across the stone floor toward the exit of the room

Chapter checklist

TypeNameWhere
Poe Soul Poe SoulFirstCentral chamber, first Poe
Poe Soul Poe SoulSecondEast of the central chamber, behind the pillar room
Poe Soul Poe SoulThirdEast corridor, behind the moving wall
Poe Soul Poe SoulFourthWest corridor, Poe that splits into four
Map and CompassDungeon Map; CompassNorth-west platforms of the central chamber; chest at the south of the chandelier room
Piece of Heart Piece of HeartFirst (#34)North-east chest of the central chamber, via Clawshot target
Piece of Heart Piece of HeartSecond (#35)Multi-level rail room, east side past the rotating spike
Small keysFiveWest corridor chest; first ReDead Knight chest; second ReDead Knight chest; round room chest; tall shaft chest
Dungeon itemSpinner SpinnerChest beyond Death Sword
Big Key Big KeyLarge chestRoom beyond the paired rails
Mini-bossDeath Sword Death SwordRoom beyond the Stalfos gate
BossTwilit Fossil StallordTop of the spiral rail
Heart Container Heart ContainerStallord rewardTop of the central pillar
Mirror of Twilight Mirror of TwilightFirst Mirror Shard (already in the mirror)Mirror Chamber, after Stallord
Ooccoo OoccooPotSouth-west of the rolling-spike room
StampsSurprised Midna; Hylian Letter DChandelier room chest; north-east chest of the multi-level rail room
Rupees and bombsRed Rupee; yellow Rupees; bombsChandelier corridor; rail-room chests; Stalfos room chests

Next: Mirror Chamber, Reekfish and Snowpeak Mountain. Earlier: Gerudo Desert and the Bulblin Camp. For Poe totals see Poe Souls; for the full boss list see Boss Guide.

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